“Mothers are burying their children; children are growing up without parents….”
Veteran actress Idowu “Iya Rainbow” Phillips and the Theatre Arts and Motion Pictures Practitioners Association of Nigeria (TAMPAN) have joined growing calls for the release of abducted teachers and pupils in Oyo State.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that entertainers had, in recent days, demanded the immediate release of the victims and condemned the worsening insecurity across the country under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Gunmen abducted about 32 people from Community High School, Ahoro-Esiele; Primary School, Esiele; and Yawota Baptist Nursery and Primary School, all located in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
One of the victims, a mathematics teacher, Michael Oyedokun, was beheaded while in captivity.
Iya Rainbow reacting to the continued detention of the teachers and pupils, as well as what she described as the government’s lukewarm response, the 83-year-old actress spoke in a video posted on her Instagram page on Monday.
She said it appeared the authorities were not showing enough concern over the situation.
The Ogun-born actress maintained that despite continuous prayers, the situation had gone out of hand and was taking longer than expected.
She said: “Please, our government, we are begging you to help us find solutions to the issue of the kidnapped pupils and teachers in Oyo State. What offence have these innocent two and three-year-old children committed? Please make this matter a priority, and may God help you. We are pleading with you to act urgently on this issue.
“Nigeria is bleeding. Every day, innocent citizens wake up in fear rather than hope. Families are torn apart by killings, kidnappings, terrorism, banditry, and violence that continue to spread across the nation. Mothers are burying their children. Children are growing up without parents. Communities are living in silence because they no longer feel protected.”
Additionally, the actress known for her role in “Agbelebu” said that Mr Tinubu’s administration continued to ignore the growing public outcry over the abducted teachers and pupils.
She stressed that leadership was not merely about power but about responsibility.
“The first duty of any government is to protect lives and restore peace. Nigerians are not asking for miracles; they are asking for safety, justice, accountability, and action. Listen to the cries from villages, towns, and cities. Listen to the students who are afraid to go to school, the farmers who are afraid to enter their farms.
The travellers are afraid to use the roads, and the families are praying every night for kidnapped loved ones to return home alive. Enough of promises without results. Enough of silence while blood is shed. Nigeria belongs to all Nigerians, and every life matters. The people deserve a country where they can live freely without fear. This is the time for unity, courage, and decisive action — not politics as usual”, said Iya Rainbow.
Furthermore, she said history would remember leaders not for their speeches, but for how they responded when the nation was in pain.
“Nigeria must heal. Nigeria must rise. Nigeria must live.”
However, in a statement signed and posted on the Instagram page of its president, Bolaji “Mr Latin” Amusan, on Monday, TAMPAN urged the government to ensure the safe return of the abducted children and teachers.
“TAMPAN joins concerned Nigerians in calling on all relevant authorities and security agencies to intensify efforts toward the safe and immediate return of the abducted children and their teachers.
“Every child deserves a safe environment to learn, and every educator deserves protection while shaping the future. We stand in solidarity with the affected families and pray for their swift rescue”, Mr Latin said.
This newspaper earlier reported that actors and musicians, including Toyin Abraham, Kunle Remi, Olumide “ID Cabasa” Ogunade, and David “Davido” Adeleke, expressed sorrow that Nigerians had become increasingly desensitised to acts of violence across the country.
They questioned which locations and individuals remained safe under Mr Tinubu’s administration.
They also called for divine intervention and prayed for the safe return of the captives to their respective homes.
